korean "lettuce wraps"

serve with rice, sliced raw garlic, and sliced hot peppers. the mushrooms should be roasted in the pan w/ the meat

Korean food can take ages - marinating, fermenting, etc. But lots of Korean meals are really simple and easy. Today's post is one of those. It's especially nice if you have a tabletop griddle, but if not just cook the pork/beef/chicken on the stove and serve alongside the add-ons, with some rice.

Above is pork belly, bought frozen from the Asian store which is just grilled on the griddle and then cut into pieces. Make the lettuce wrap with the meat, some rice, garlic, hot peppers, and these two recipes:

green onion salad

• 3-4 bunches of green onions, cut in 2 inch pieces and washed carefully and dried
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes (the Korean ones - they're bigger pieces)
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (make sure they're not stale)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (Kadoya is a good brand - some of the others are not as good)

Shred the onion lengthwise into thin pieces, and toss with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste!


ssam jang (hot pepper sauce)

• 3 tablespoons dwenjang 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Mix all of the above with a spoon. It'll be sticky.

Serve the salad, ssam jang, sliced garlic, sliced hot peppers, fresh short-grain rice and clean red lettuce leaves. Let people grill their own pork belly, and provide a dip made with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, some pepper, and a tablespoon of sesame oil. Grill the mushrooms on the side et voila!